Vice President Dick Cheney addresses Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Tuesday July 27, 2004. "Our President has made clear to all the terrorist enemies that they will fail because the direction of history is toward justice and human freedom," Vice President Cheney said in his remarks. "The terrorists will fail because the resolve of America and our allies will not be shaken. And the terrorists will fail because men and women like you stand in their way."
Vice President
Dick Cheney
Vice President Richard B. Cheney has had a distinguished career as a
businessman and public servant, serving four Presidents and as an elected
official. Throughout his service, Mr. Cheney served with duty, honor,
and unwavering leadership, gaining him the respect of the American people
during trying military times.
Mr. Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 30, 1941 and grew
up in Casper, Wyoming. He earned his bachelor's and master's of arts degrees
from the University of Wyoming. His career in public service began in
1969 when he joined the Nixon Administration, serving in a number of positions
at the Cost of Living Council, at the Office of Economic Opportunity,
and within the White House.
When Gerald Ford assumed the Presidency in August 1974, Mr. Cheney served
on the transition team and later as Deputy Assistant to the President.
In November 1975, he was named Assistant to the President and White House
Chief of Staff, a position he held throughout the remainder of the Ford
Administration.
After he returned to his home state of Wyoming in 1977, Mr. Cheney was
elected to serve as the state's sole Congressman in the U.S. House of
Representatives. He was re-elected five times and elected by his colleagues
to serve as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee from 1981 to 1987.
He was elected Chairman of the House Republican Conference in 1987 and
elected House Minority Whip in 1988. During his tenure in the House, Mr.
Cheney earned a reputation as a man of knowledge, character, and accessibility.
Mr. Cheney also served a crucial role when America needed him most. As Secretary
of Defense from March 1989 to January 1993, Mr. Cheney directed two of the
largest military campaigns in recent history - Operation Just Cause in Panama
and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East. He was responsible for shaping
the future of the U.S. military in an age of profound and rapid change as
the Cold War ended. For his leadership in the Gulf War, Secretary Cheney
was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George Bush on
July 3, 1991.
Mr. Cheney married his high school sweetheart, Lynne Ann Vincent, in
1964, and they have grown daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, and three granddaughters.